This small statue—consisting of a Buddha, pedestal, and large halo made from a single piece—is the oldest Buddhist sculpture with an inscribed date that has ever been found in Korea. The front of the halo is embellished with a dynamic geometric flame design, while the back is inscribed with forty-seven Chinese characters, describing when, where, and why the statue was made. The inscription reveals that the statue was the twenty-ninth of one thousand Buddhas produced and distributed by Dongsa Temple in Pyeongyang, the capital of the Goguryeo Kingdom, in the seventh year of yeonga, which corresponds to 539 CE. Because of the inscription, this statue is an invaluable artifact for the study of Korean Buddhist sculpture.
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